In the Beginning, There was Betrayal
by SweetChi
Summary: Before humanity, before the rebellion, before the fall, there was Mum. She was his true downfall. The hammer that broke him into pieces... (Pre season 2; evil!Mum; Hurt!Lucifer)
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I don't own Lucifer and am making no money from this; it's purely written for enjoyment._

 _Author's Note: Written for Ice Queen1 who requested a fic where the reason why Lucifer's mom was locked up in Hell is because she tried to kill her husband's favorite child in a fit of jealous rage. I kind of tweeked it a bit, but hopefully it still satisfies._

 **In the Beginning, there was Betrayal**

 _"_ _You're afraid… But you're never afraid… Who could possibly scare you?"_

Amenadiel's voice echoed in his mind, punctuated by the crash of thunder above. Lucifer wondered briefly if Dad was impatient for him to get started on his new task or if He just felt LA needed a little more rain. Well, Daddy Dearest would have to send down a lightning bolt if he wanted to get Lucifer moving any time soon. He needed some time to… _process._

 _"_ _But you're never afraid…"_

Oh, but Amenadiel was wrong. There was one time... Long, long ago – even by Lucifer's standards. He'd almost forgotten what it felt like. Fear, that is. Though Detective Decker had poked that dormant emotion a few times…

"Lucifer? What the hell are you doing?"

Speak of the Devil…

He chuckled as Detective Decker's face peered down at him, hair curtaining her face and soaking up the rain.

"Thought our warehouse jaunt was so fun I'd have a reenactment. Want to play? You can go hide by those air conditioning units and be quiet," he said, waving to the left of Lux's rooftop.

Eyes the color of the stormy sky stared down at him for a moment, but instead of rolling in exasperation as usual, they softened and she lowered herself to the ground to sprawl out next to him.

He wanted to tease her, to give her a salacious look and naughty comment about her laying with the Devil, but the words wouldn't come – he couldn't find the energy.

"It's been a rough week," she said, folding her hands over her stomach.

She looked like she belonged in a casket…

He looked away and stared up into the rain again. "Yes. It has."

"You were framed for murder. Trixie was kidnapped. I thought you died."

"Yes, detective, I was there, I don't need the recap."

"You thought I betrayed you…"

Muscles clenched involuntarily, teeth bared in the gruesome facsimile of a smile. "You thought I killed that preacher."

"I didn't know what to think," she admitted, then added softly. "It killed me to suspect you, even for a moment."

He gave out a harsh bark of laughter. "Don't be silly, detective. I'm the Devil. Who'd be stupid enough to trust the Devil."

"Me."

He looked at her then, and some foolish little part of him latched onto the earnest look she was leveling at him, wanting _so badly_ for it to be true. Because he trusted her…

He turned away, the image of broken chains flashing through his mind and his breath caught.

"Don't set yourself up for failure, Detective Decker. Betrayal is a tale old as time and it likes to repeat itself…"

"What's this about, Lucifer?" She asked, propping herself on her elbow to look over at him.

"My Mum," he said quietly, not sure why he was telling her, but having to tell someone. Amenadiel had balked at the news, getting quiet and broody and disappearing. He was probably laying on another rooftop moping…

"You've never mentioned your mom…"

"Yes, well, good reason for that. Anyway, she's escaped Hell and Father wants me to bring her back."

He could feel her mind working as she stared at him, trying to make that sentence fit into the "real world", trying to translate it into something her mind could believe.

"You talked to your dad? I thought you to didn't…"

"We haven't. Not since the Fall. But… I needed a favor. One he granted - for a price, of course."

"So, your mom's missing and he wants you to bring her back?" Decker asked, eyebrows Ved in confusion. "What's she like?"

His hands twitched on the rooftop, nails scratching the concrete as he remembered. Suddenly, he couldn't sit still, couldn't lay there so exposed. He lurched to his feet and stalked to the edge of the building, looking at the street below but not really seeing it.

"She's beautiful. And terrible," he said softly. "So very, very terrible…"

He looked back at the Detective then, she'd sat up and crossed her legs, watching him closely. She was so… small, so… _vulnerable_ … and he felt his fear skyrocket.

If mum found out that Detective Decker was special to him, that she was _his_ Light Bringer…

He took a shuddering breath.

He had to protect her.

* * *

Chloe watched Lucifer with mounting concern. She'd never seen him like this – tightly wound and so very _scared._ Scratch that – she'd gotten a glimpse of that once.

When she'd seen the scars on his back.

"Your family, Lucifer… What was it like?"

She knew she was either poking an open wound or a sleeping bear with that question. But something was very wrong and she needed to know…

"Family… That was where it had all started, wasn't it, really?" He gave a raw laugh that made the hair on her arms stand on end as he turned to look out over the city again. "Not with humans doing dirty deeds and needing a keeper in the afterlife. Not with Father "gifting" that job to me. Not with my rebellion. Not even with the creation of human kind.

"It started with _Family…_ "

He took two tight steps to the right before spinning back – an aborted pace as she could practically see the coiled energy in him reaching a boiling point.

"Everyone thinks of evil as starting with me. That all things were good and dandy before I screwed it all up. But…"

He looked at her then and there was such pain in those dark eyes that she found herself on her feet moving toward him without really making the decision to do it. But he shied away from her touch in a way that made her gut clench – a flinch and a turn away that left her standing with an outstretched hand.

"I had a Family, you know," he said, shocking her with the softness of his words. "Brothers… So many brothers. And Father. And Mother. For a while… things were good, but…"

He turned and sat on the edge of the building, rain dripping off of his hair into downturned eyes.

"It's a story that's lasted the test of time. _Lucifer_ , brightest of the angels, _jealous_ of the humans Dad created. But that's not where it started. That's not where it started _at all_. But it's still the same story, really, the beginning. And it _wasn't me_."

The last words were so broken, yet so _angry_ Chloe was left adrift in how to react. She was finally getting a piece of the puzzle that was Lucifer's past – mired in the religious metaphor, but still. Something she'd wanted since she'd met the mysterious man and here she was... wanting him to stop. He was about to tell her something painful, something she couldn't un-know. Something that _hurt_ him deeply and she was scared that it was unfixable - that her curiosity and pushing would just break him further.

"What happened?" She found herself asking instead. The words were hers, but she swore she hadn't given herself permission to speak them out loud.

"The same damned story," he said, giving a laugh that was razor sharp. "The brightest and most beautiful being in the universe. Loved by God himself and loving Him in return. Basking in His devotion and affection. But then He got _bored_ and created something new and interesting. Suddenly his attention shifted to this new and wondrous thing.

"And suddenly this perfect being knew fury. She knew _jealously_.

"These _sons_. These _Angels_. Had taken Him from her. One in particular - The Light Bringer," he said, falling out of story mode to gesture at himself and hop off the ledge with a showy little bow and a bitter smile.

"She was jealous of her own son?" She asked, baffled by the thought.

"Hmm," Lucifer hummed with a nod, turning away. "More than just jealous, though. She was furious at the thought that something could outshine her in my Father's eyes. She wanted to destroy anything that could do such a thing. She very nearly succeeded…"

Horror tightened Chloe's throat as she stared at Lucifer's back. His normally languid and confident stance, was hunched inwards, as if he were protecting himself.

"She- she _attacked_ you?" She choked out in disbelief.

"Oh, yes. And if you can believe it, I was taken totally off guard. I'd been so _naïve,"_ he snorted then, a self-conscious, bitter sound. "How many would be shocked by that idea? The _Devil_ , shocked by betrayal. She taught me the meaning of that word that day. And pain. And humiliation. All foreign concepts to me until that moment…"

Chloe's hands were shaking, nausea rolling in the pit of her stomach as she tried to imagine Lucifer, young and impressionable, attacked by his own mother. For a moment she thought she might actually vomit.

"But that wasn't even the worst part," he said with a high pitched laugh as he spun back around. "He _forgave_ her. She almost destroyed me and He _forgave_ her. The story thinks my Fall came with the creation of humanity, but it came well before that. After what she did, what _He_ did, I just… Nothing was the same. I couldn't go back to how I was before. _Then_ humanity came and… I rebelled. It probably would've happened anyway eventually, they were just the… what's the saying? The straw that broke the camel's back?"

He laughed that disturbing laugh again, but it broke in the middle and he spun away before she could get more than a glimpse of his face crumpling.

"He didn't forgive _me._ I was cast out. Relegated to Hell with a line about it being a job of utmost importance – as if guarding the place of punishment for the rotten part of his precious humanity was a bleeding _honor._ He just wanted me gone…"

Chloe's feet finally regained feeling and she moved forward on weak legs.

"He did eventually cast her out as well though," he said in a faux cheerful voice. "I never saw her, but Maze- Detective?"

Chloe wrapped her arms around him from behind, face pressed between the soaked shoulder blades of his suit where she knew another painful story for another day lay. After a moment, she felt the tension leak out of him and a warm damp hand rest over her own.

She wanted to tell him he could trust her. That she was sorry for what happened with the priest and the frame job, that it would never happen again. But she knew words were hollow things to be crushed on a whim.

Instead she'd show him.

If his mother really was out there somewhere, escaped from some place and looking to hurt him again…

She tightened her hold.

She would protect him.

Neither noticed the rain stop or the sun light shining down, just on the two of them.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Annnnnd… I decided to continue it…

 **Chapter Two**

Lucifer slunk down, trying to make his 6'3" frame less of a beacon above the writhing crowd at Lux. For once he wasn't reveling in his ability to be the center of attention in any room – he wanted nothing more than to be invisible at that moment.

A woman's rather large hair bounced to the left, giving him an unobstructed view of Detective Decker, standing on her toes trying to catch sight of him. He ducked behind another woman's even larger breasts and angled himself for an escape.

He'd been avoiding her for three days.

Ever since that moment of bloody word vomit on the roof, where he acted like a sniveling little brat whining about how mummy didn't love him. Just the memory of it made him want to bury himself in booze and women until the extremes he could take debauchery to erased that moment of vulnerability.

Unfortunately, Detective Decker didn't have that same "live and let bloody live" attitude and had been hounding him since.

"Nice work there," he leered, dodging around a groping couple by the bar before slipping toward the elevator.

He made it inside a moment later and saw an exasperated Decker on the opposite side of the bar glaring at him as the doors started closing.

"Oh, Detective!" He called with a little wave. "So sorry I missed you! Something to take care of!"

Feeling better to be out of sight once the doors were fully shut, but maybe a dash guilty, the false smile dropped from his face and he ran a hand through his hair. For someone who thrived on appearances, he was getting tired of the upkeep.

How long would he have to start on his end of the bargain? Time wasn't something God was short on so maybe he could drag it out for a while. Just a couple months… or centuries? He tugged on hair before letting his hand drop to his side. But that would mean living knowing _she_ was out there somewhere. Out there probably doing things dear old dad couldn't even imagine. How could he go on as he had been when she was out there free to do as she pleased? Knowing she could be around any corner?

Pushing those thoughts to the side, as he had so, so many times before, he watched his feet as the elevator deposited him on his floor, wondering how he could get things back to normal with the Detective.

Lost in thought as he was, he didn't see her - not until he was across the room, blinking blood out of his eyes from the floor.

"Hello, Son. Or should I call you Warden?"

She was wearing the body of an attractive woman with long hair and longer legs in a short skirted business suit. But he could see through the mask, the dark fury in her eyes, the madness in her smile. While Dad was all control and creation, she was entropy, encroaching chaos. Like bookends to the universe.

"Mum…"

Unfamiliar pain rolled through him as she was suddenly standing over him, jerking him from the floor by his arm like a ragdoll. Why did it feel like- His eyes widened as he realized Detective Decker was in the building. Apparently, that was close enough to make him vulnerable. He knew Mum could harm him regardless of The Chloe Effect, but his healing would be halted. Even that wasn't his biggest worry - the damage he'd sustain while the Detective was nearby he could deal with, but if she continued her hunt for him, if she came here…

"I don't know why you're bleeding, but I like it," she said, with a wide smile. "It's a good look on you."

He wanted to reply, his mind stumbled over witty retorts and reached for familiar snark and confidence, but all he could remember was _before_ \- the ripping, the breaking, the snapping of crumpled feathers and the continuous laughter mixed with his own screams – and he couldn't breathe, let alone talk.

She threw him onto the bar, sending glassware flying and overlaying his surprised gasp with the sound of shattering. She jumped up, one heeled foot barely touching a stool, the other lightly pushing off of the bar top, before landing squarely on his torso. One heel slid neatly between two ribs upon impact, the other digging into his hipbone painfully. He gritted his teeth to prevent any more sound from escaping.

"It's been so long little Light Bringer," she cooed, grabbing a nearby piece of glass. "I missed you most of all."

Her beatific smile was punctuated by the sharp sting of glass biting into his jaw.

"Even beautiful in this human approximation. I bet you're hiding something though. A face you don't let this world see? Why Lucifer? Why hide your true self? Embarrassment perhaps?"

The glass bit through skin down to bone as she dragged it along his face.

"Maybe I should remove the mask? Stop your hiding? A good mother would help her son accept himself for who he really is, wouldn't she?"

Who he was? Who was he? He was Lucifer bloody Morningstar! He was the Devil! He wasn't some scared, naïve little angel anymore.

"As if you'd know anything about being a good mother," he snarled, grabbing her wrist and jerking while he twisted his body.

She lost her balance on him, obviously still not very familiar with the human casing she wore, but managed to land on her feet nonetheless.

"Oh, so you do have a little fight left in you," she said from her crouch, looking at him from a curtain of hair. "Good."

In a flurry of movement he couldn't quite follow he found himself smashing into the glass shelving behind the bar (dammit, he'd just gotten it repaired from his spat with Amenadiel!), the sharp sting of glass biting into his back only momentarily before he was flying over the bar, landing face first on the floor and sliding a few feet to a stop.

The sound of heeled steps, crunching glass underfoot, drew nearer and nearer.

Was this fear? Or a concussion? He wasn't terribly familiar with either so couldn't tell which was making his mind so slow yet erratic. Memories of _before_ overlapped the present and his breath had become almost a pant by the time a hand latched around his wrist. She was walking then, dragging him as she kept talking in a maddeningly cheery voice. Warm night air from the balcony brushed across his face and reminded him of something he couldn't quite place…

"While you might not have bothered to visit your dear mother in Hell, I saw quite a bit of that demon of yours. She was very creative - I must give credit where credit is due," she said, stopping and lifting him by his arm again. "I'm looking forward to trying some of her methods on you. But first…"

She paused then, eyes roaming his face before looking in his eyes again, a soft look there that made something clench inside of him.

"Mother's want to witness important moments in their children's lives. There was one moment I missed out on, that I desperately wanted to see. _He,_ " she spat the pronoun. "Thought I'd make the moment worse. That'd you'd think it was my idea if I was there."

A hand came up and cupped his face in a mockery of love before her thumb dug into the split in his eyebrow. He flinched away and she laughed, bringing her thumb to her lips and licking the blood off.

"Your most defining moment, and I wasn't there. So, I'd like to recreate that moment as best I can in this situation, so you can see your mother's joy. We'll have time for the other games later, but for now…"

Then he was flying.

Ah, so that was the memory he'd been reaching for earlier. He hadn't flown in… He couldn't remember how long – wouldn't let himself think on it lest he regret any part of his decision. But in that moment, the freedom…

Then he saw her smiling as gravity caught and he remembered his wings were but a memory and a scar now.

"Let mother see you fall, Lucifer."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

It took Amenadiel an embarrassingly long time to realize what he was looking at when he stepped off the elevator. A kind of disappointed disgust hit him first as the smell of liquor accosted him – had Luci not cleaned this up since their fight? A flash of guilt and embarrassment followed, as he'd been just a big a part of the mess as his brother. He should've helped with the cleanup. Just because he didn't live there-

Then his shoe slipped on some blood.

Looking around with newly alarmed eyes he saw there was actually quite a bit of blood splattered around among the broken bottles and glassware. He crunched forward another step when the curtains from the balcony rustled with the breeze, the movement drawing his attention. There he saw a woman, long hair being tugged playfully by the wind and one thin arm extended out-

He blinked in surprise, unsure he was actually seeing what he thought he was. A strange tight sensation started in his chest as he took in the sight of her holding Lucifer by the wrist. But… Lucifer wasn't standing. He was dangling, like his legs wouldn't support him. His face was bloody and his eyes were wide with an unfamiliar expression.

 _Oh no…_

His realization came at the same moment her other hand came up, grabbing Lucifer by the front of his shirt and lifting and shoving at the same time. Time seemed to slow as his brother hung midair, a strange look of peace on his face replacing the fear. Amenadiel could hear the woman laughing.

Without another thought he forced time to _actually_ slow, with a small prayer to a father he wasn't quite sure was listening as much as he'd originally thought - but that was for another time. His waning power worked to his relief and with an almighty shove he sent himself through the doors, past the woman and over the side, catching Lucifer around the chest with one arm and flying back to the balcony.

It was then he saw that, while everything else had frozen, _she_ had _not._

A small hand, curved into a claw, caught the end of one wing as he went by, jerking him both out of flight and concentration with a harsh yank. He hit the floor just inside the building hard along with Lucifer – both of them sliding through the mess of glass and destroying a table in the process. His wing _burned_ where she'd grabbed him.

Pain and surprise pulled his control of time away and the curtains resumed their dance to the sound of clicking heels as she appeared between them. He wondered if he'd been willfully ignoring the truth of the matter until then, because when her eyes locked on his, he was surprised yet not with the knowledge of who he was dealing with.

 _"_ Mom…"

Her smile was a slow thing, tugging the corners of her mouth slightly, before blooming into an expanse of teeth and laughter.

"Amenadiel? Is that you?"

He felt frozen to the spot, elation and fear warring with each other as each crunch of glass and click of heels brought her closer to where he was still sprawled on the ground. His – _all_ of the angels actually – relationship with their mother was… complicated. She'd been like father at first - beautiful, adored and almost unreachable.

But what she did to Lucifer changed all that.

He shuddered as he remembered his brother so, so long ago, crumpled into a pile pain and crushed feathers, and her standing over him. But despite that, he found himself leaning into her hand as she rested it on the side of his face.

"Oh, how I've missed you," she said, her eyes looking misty.

Then shame washed over him and he pulled away. Maybe she hadn't hurt him or any of his other brothers, but he knew she was capable of it. Just because Lucifer caught her attention didn't mean it couldn't have been any of them instead. Lucifer had done many, _many_ things Amenadiel didn't approve of, but what she had done to him hadn't been something of his own doing. It had been _before_ the Lucifer of now, before the Fall, before when he was just _brother_.

A part of him couldn't help but wonder if everything wouldn't have turned out differently if that moment hadn't happened…

A shuffling to the side drew his eyes for a second to see said brother trying to get one arm under him to push himself up, the other lay limply in the glass, apparently broken. His eyes were clenched shut with pain and blood dripped from his mouth with each panted breath.

Amenadiel's own breath caught as he realized his brother wasn't healing and what that meant.

 _Chloe…_

She was there, somewhere close by.

And suddenly Amenadiel was _furious._ An all consuming rage at _everything_ like he'd never felt before. At that human detective for making Luci this vulnerable; at Lucifer for allowing it; at _himself_ for… so, so many things. But mostly, at that moment, he was furious with _her._

With a snarl he shoved hard, sending her flying from her crouched position in front of him back toward the balcony doors where she slid on her back through them before standing slowly as he did the same.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" She yelled, her voice echoing oddly throughout the room in a way that made him fight off a flinch.

"What's wrong with _you_?" He shot back, gesturing at Lucifer's pitiful attempt at standing.

"You're going to _defend_ him?" She hissed, stalking back through the curtains, fingers curling and straightening in a strange rhythm. "Do you know where I've _been_ all this time?"

"That's not his fault-"

"It's _all_ his fault!"

Her words were screamed and he really did flinch this time – but it didn't stop him from stepping to the side, between her and Lucifer.

"He didn't put you there. Father did."

"Because of _him!_ It was all fine before _him_!"

"Wasn't me," he heard Lucifer mumble behind him. "I didn't- I _didn't-"_

And the rage Amenadiel didn't know he had in him reached a new height. He stepped back, sliding an arm under Lucifer's unbroken one and helping him fully straighten but keeping his eyes on their mother.

"No, Luci, you _didn't_. It _wasn't you._ Nothing she did was your fault."

He could feel Lucifer's eyes on him but didn't dare take his gaze off their mother. The very air around her seemed to vibrate with her mounting fury.

"You're going to protect _that?_ Over your own mother?"

"Only if you force me to make that choice."

He braced himself as she coiled, anger making her eyes glow slightly and the very air seemed to shudder. But he didn't move. Even as Luci, Father bless him, tried to shove him out of the way, he stayed solid. She'd have to go through him if she wanted Lucifer.

He didn't bother to try to slow time as she launched herself at him, knowing it wouldn't work on her anyway, but everything still took on that calm, clarity that came when he did. The warm brush of the night air carrying laughter and music from outside; the soft shifting of the curtains as wind rustled through; the splatter of Lucifer's blood on his Mother's cheek that had trapped a few strands of hair against it; Maze-

Wait… Maze?

And suddenly, where things had been so clear and quiet the second before, now everything was a rush of color and sound and his mind struggled to keep up.

Maze slammed into Mom from the side midleap – a terrible shriek of rage from one, or both, of them making him cringe. They hit the couch hard, knocking it over and sliding over the glass strewn floor. Both springing up at almost the same moment. But while his Mother's movements were quick, they weren't exactly agile (he assumed the cage of the human guise she wore wasn't something she was used to yet), Maze was fluid violence given form.

Mom was doing an admirable job of dodging the blows, but finally one of Maze's swipes with her curved blades made contact, scoring a line on her upper arm and causing a sudden blinding line of light to appear. Amenadiel missed what happened next as he shied away from the glaring light, but he assumed Maze had done the same because a second later she was thrown into him and both of them hit Lucifer, sending them all down in a pile of limbs and cursing.

He didn't look at either his brother or his demon as he leapt to his feet, just made sure he was positioned in front of them. Mom stood a few feet away, a hand clamped on her arm and a look of annoyance on her pretty, borrowed face that melted into an eerie calm when she looked back at him.

"Well, looks like I need a little time out," she said. "You should do some thinking while I'm gone, Amenadiel, on whether you truly believe defending your disgraced brother and his demon whore are really the best use of your skills or time. I'll be back for them and I won't give you another chance."

Then… she was gone.

He blinked and looked around in surprise – a slightly insane laugh bubbling up from within him.

"I'm usually the first to laugh at disaster," Maze said from behind him. "But I'm failing to find the humor in your psycho bitch mom's death threats. Unfortunately, she's one of the few I think can carry out what she promises."

"It's just," he said, shaking his head and fighting down the laugher. "Now I know how the humans feel when we do that to them."

He heard her snort slightly and turned to face her, only to have every bit of humor wiped from him. She was crouched next to Lucifer, who was still sitting on the floor, but carefully not touching him she saw. His usually animated brother was still except for a slight tremble that he wished he could un-see once he noticed it, eyes locked on the spot where their mother had disappeared.

"Luci…"

His voice drifted as he searched for what to say. But before he could come up with anything, the elevator door opened – a loud whisper in the suddenly silent room – and Chloe Decker stepped into the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Chloe was done. Done with getting hit on in the club. Done with having her calls ignored. Done with having Lucifer dodge her. D.O.N.E.

She got it, okay? He was pulling some macho crap, embarrassed about opening up about the nightmare his mom was, but this was _ridiculous!_ She'd watched his brother go up, she'd watched Maze go up and dammit, he wasn't running from her any more. Maybe with other people there it would be harder for him to make an escape and she could make him see it wasn't weird between them. That things could be like they were before even though he'd opened up some – it didn't change evertyhting. She didn't see him differently.

Okay, so maybe she saw him a _little_ differently. Knowing that his mom had physically hurt him in the past still made her stomach roll, but she'd already known his home life growing up wasn't the stuff of fairy tales (just biblical mythology…). His father sounded like a controlling SOB and those scars…

Shaking her head, she downed the rest of the drink she'd been nursing and headed for the elevator. Dwelling on the tragic past of her partner wasn't going to get her in the mindset to show him nothing had changed between them. One hint of doe-eyed sympathy or even empathy and he'd be in the wind again.

In the elevator, she rolled her shoulders, mentally preparing herself for some verbal sparring, obscene quips and the misdirection of a master. That was fine, he could be his stereotypical Lucifer self and she'd just roll with it. As long as he knew he didn't have to run from her anymore.

But her plan crumpled to dust as the elevator door opened and revealed a room that looked like a tornado had been through it. Chloe's jaw went slack as she took in the broken bottles, shelving and table along with the upended couch. Relief washed through her when she spotted Lucifer - until she really got a look at him, anyway. He was on the ground, long legs slightly pulled up in what looked like an aborted attempt to stand.

And he was a _mess._

Blood drenched half his face and had soaked one side of his shirt collar, then the stain picked up again on his ribcage, making the front of his shirt more red than white at this point. But what had her throat tightening with fear and anger was the look on his face. He looked… confused. And when his dark eyes met hers, he looked scared. It made him look younger and somehow smaller than the man she'd grown used to. Especially with Maze and Amenadiel standing over him.

"Oh… oh my god!" She said, darting forward. "What happened?"

Before she made it halfway there though, she was intercepted by Maze. And while threats of violence weren't unusual for the bartender, this was the first time Chloe actually felt a tendril of fear slide through her. She looked… _feral_ , was the best word she could come up with.

And she was holding a knife. A knife with blood on it.

Chloe had her gun out before she thought it through. Probably why you shouldn't carry a gun and drink…

"Step away from him," she said, gun tracking between Maze and Amenadiel.

Maze looked shocked, then impressed before she laughed. "You think _we_ did this to him?"

"I know this isn't the first time you've destroyed this bar fighting with Lucifer," she said to Amenadiel.

"And me?" Maze asked, still looking amused.

"I know you're sleeping with him," she said, nodding toward Amenadiel and souring Maze's amusement. "And I know Lucifer looks like he's been stabbed and you're holding a bloody knife. You want to tell me it isn't what it looks like, fine, but do it _away_ from Lucifer."

"De- Detective," it was the first time he'd spoken since she'd gotten there and his voice sounded as wrecked as the rest of him looked. "I'm fine. And it wasn't them."

"You are _not_ fine," Chloe said, mentally cursing when it came out a little more furious and a lot more watery than she wanted, but she could feel the telltale tightening of her throat that meant tears were imminent as she watched him wince as he tried to get his legs under him, one arm dangling uselessly next to him with the other pressed into the glass strewn floor for leverage.

The flinch he gave when his brother reached out to help him didn't help either of their cases.

"I said get away from him," she barked, moving forward a quick clip toward Lucifer and moving the gun between the other two.

Amenadiel rolled his eyes and started to raise one hand in an odd shape, with some of his fingers straightened and some bent – he wasn't holding a weapon but Chloe felt her hands tighten on the gun anyway.

"Don't," Lucifer said.

She didn't know if it was meant for her or for his brother, but the tiredness in his voice more than the word made both of them freeze.

"I'm fine," he said, looking like he was attempting a smile, but falling more toward a grimace. "Amenadiel and Maze didn't do this. They actually-"

Words seemed to fail him at that moment, and he sent a strangely loaded look at his brother. One she didn't think she'd ever seen on him before – somewhere between embarrassment, shame and gratefulness.

Chole, not positive it was a good idea yet, but wanting to put Lucifer at ease, put the gun away.

"Then what the hell happened here?" She asked, ignoring Maze's strange growl and moving closer to Lucifer.

"Oh, just a little family squabble," Lucifer said. "Mum decided to save me the trouble of looking for her and paid me a visit. Had a little mother/son bonding time.

Despite the relieving return of Lucifer's (albeit forced) levity, Chloe found herself choking back tears as she got closer to him.

"Jesus," she breathed, stopping within an arm's length.

His brow and lip were split and bits of glass were imbedded in the tiny cuts littering his face. His stubbled jaw had a ragged gash from near his ear all the way to his chin that made her breath catch as she swore she could see muscle and bone beneath. And the bloodstain on his shirt over his ribs had a suspicious hole in the middle of it.

She reached for the hole, but snatched her hand back like she'd been burned when he flinched away from her with a hunch and a stumbling step back. The look on his face after the involuntary jerk made her so furious that her vision shook with her heartbeat for a second.

Then his words registered.

"Your _mother_ did this?"

"Hey, she's stronger than she looks," he said, looking defensive.

"That's not-" She shook her head. "Okay, I need to know _exactly_ how she looks, because I'm calling this in. She's _not_ getting away with this."

"You're damn right she's not," Maze hissed from the side at the same time Lucifer's eyes widened in alarm.

"No, no police. No- you, in fact. You should go. Go on vacation. Far away. Rome! Or Athens! All expenses paid! I'm sure that little urchin of yours would love to see-"

His words cut out and he swayed alarmingly. Even though Chloe was closer, Amenadiel somehow got there before her, steadying him at the same time Maze kicked an arm chair toward them, sending it sliding over the floor with perfect aim to rest behind Lucifer, who more fell into it than sat.

"She's making it worse, get her out of here," Amenadiel said, glancing at Chloe almost apologetically.

"No, wait," Lucifer said, shaking his head slightly and closing his eyes. "Not Rome or Greece…"

Maze appeared next to her, but Chloe jerked her arm from the bartender's grasp.

"Are all of you crazy! He needs a hospital!"

"He needs you to leave," Maze said, snatching her arm again, this time her grip bruising.

Chloe's hand drifted back to her gun, but Lucifer's next words stopped her cold.

"I'm sorry, detective, I think they're right."

His voice was slurring slightly now and Amenadiel had crouched down in front of him. He shot them an alarmed look.

"Go, now," he ordered. "I don't know the range-"

"I'm calling a fucking ambulance," Chloe said, her fear feeding her anger at the whole backwards situation.

"I don't need a bloody ambulance," Lucifer said, even though his listing position on the chair argued otherwise. "I need- I need-"

He scrubbed a hand over his face and Chloe felt vomit crawl up her throat as the flayed skin on jaw pulled away from the muscle for a second.

"Go!" Amenadiel barked.

Maze yanked, practically dragging her to the elevator as she tried to get her boots to find purchase on the liquor and glass strewn floor.

"Wait!"

When she looked back, Lucifer had bolted upright in his chair, looking even paler than before. His eyes darted from Chloe to his brother.

"Mum's still out there somewhere, if she knows about the Detective-"

"She doesn't know about her," Maze said, shaking her head and slamming her free hand down on the elevator button. "She didn't show until after she left."

"Maze is right. If that was her plan she'd have gone for Chloe first, to do the most damage before she killed you."

"She wasn't trying to kill me," Lucifer said.

"She shoved you off the balcony, Luci," Amenadiel said softly.

 _Kill him?_ Chloe found herself swaying in Maze's grip like she'd been the one assaulted. _Shoved him off the-_

"Yes, but she had other things in store for me after that," Lucifer said, eyes straying to the open balcony doors. "She just wanted to see me fall…"

The last part was quiet and Lucifer looked almost haunted as he said it.

"He's right," Maze said. "She wouldn't have known that would kill him."

"Excuse me? She wouldn't have known shoving her son out of a high-rise would _kill_ him? Is she insane?"

"Yes," Amenadiel said, eyes locking on her seriously. "She is. And she wants to… hurt Luci. The more you're around the more vulnerable he is."

She flinched at his words. "I can't leave him someone's trying to kill him. We can set up a protective detail-"

"Protective detail… That's a good idea. Maze, go with her," Lucifer interrupted, not looking at her. "If Mum really doesn't know about her yet, then it's better she not be around me until this is sorted."

"No, no way-" Chloe started.

"You need me here. No fucking way-" Maze said at the same time.

"Keep her safe, Mazikeen."

Maze stared at Lucifer for a second before giving Chloe a furious glare and jerking her in the elevator. When her eyes met Lucifer's before the doors closed completely, she couldn't help but feel like he was saying goodbye.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

The air that had felt so warm earlier that night felt chilly to Chloe as Maze marched her from the building toward her car, hand still locked on her arm. She rubbed her hands across burning eyes before pulling her light jacket closer to her while fighting off a shiver.

"This-This is insane," Chloe finally got out as her car came into view.

"No shit," Maze mumbled, not slowing her steps.

Chloe yanked back, tired of being dragged, but the effect was completely lost on Maze, not even causing a hitch in her stride. Not for the first time, she considered asking what the bartender's workout regimen was like, but pushed the thought away for another time.

"Maze, he needs a hospital. I'll stay away if that's what he wants," she said, pushing away the hurt as they stopped by the car. "But you need to take him to- What are you doing?"

Maze had rolled her eyes and interrupted her by stepping into Chloe's personal space, patting her down. After a second she pulled the keys from Chloe's coat pocket.

"We're leaving. Both of us. You wanna drive, or you want me to?"

With a glare, she snatched the keys from Maze and slid into the driver's seat, slamming the door with extra force even though she knew it really wouldn't make her feel any better. She was beyond frustrated and confused by the whole situation, but she did know for certain she didn't want to go anywhere with Maze if she drove like she lived – fast and reckless.

Once Maze was settled in the other seat, she took off – maybe a little faster than usual herself - hands clenched on the wheel and mind running a mile a minute. She glanced at Maze from the corner of her eye - maybe she could make use of this time (as well as distract herself from the image of Lucifer on the floor that kept replaying in her mind). If she couldn't get answers from Lucifer himself, maybe she could get some from Maze.

"His mother really did that to him?" She asked quietly.

"Yes."

"And… she's done that before?"

Maze glanced at her and her face was blank, but Chloe caught the small twitch of her hands, digging nails into the knees of her leather pants.

"He mentioned it to me a few days ago," she said, trying to coax Maze into the conversation. "That his mother… hurt him, a long time ago."

"…yes."

Maze's voice was softer and she wasn't looking at Chloe anymore, her gaze locked on the street in front of them but obviously not seeing it.

"Was it… was it like that? Back then? Was it as bad as what we just saw?" Chloe asked, the memory of the skin on his jaw pulling away from muscle made her swallow convulsively.

Maze snorted. "No. It was worse last time."

"What… How…"

Chloe couldn't find the right words for her question because she wasn't sure she wanted the answer. How was it worse? What had happened before? It was bad enough seeing the aftermath as an adult, and thinking Lucifer was a child when-

"I wasn't there then," Maze shrugged, thankfully interrupting Chloe's thoughts. "But I heard about it later."

"From Lucifer?"

"No. From her."

The silence lasted so long Chloe thought Maze wasn't going to say any more about it, but just when she opened her mouth to prod her, Maze continued.

"I wasn't around then – couldn't protect him. But after his Father cast her out…" A wicked smile crept across her face as her hands twitched on her knees again. "I spent some… _quality_ time with her."

"And she talked about what she did to Lucifer?"

The question wiped the smile off Maze's face, replacing it with sullen fury.

"Not for long, she didn't."

Chloe fought off a shudder. But at the same time, she was ashamed to feel a vindictive jolt of… maybe not pleasure, but something close to it, that the woman that had hurt Lucifer had in turn been hurt by Maze. Feeling Maze's eyes on her, she angled her head more toward the side window as she made a turn, not willing to really admit that part to herself let alone someone else.

"Why? Why would a mother do that?"

She knew before the question was out of her mouth that there was no answer in the world that would be satisfactory. She saw things like that again and again as an officer and it never made any sense. It never would no matter what excuses were offered…

"He was different from the others even back then. Brighter, I guess. More… just _more_." Maze shifted, the sound of fabric and leather shifting out of Chloe's eyeline. "Like I said I didn't know him back then. But I do know that his Father loved him best because of it. Funny that the thing that made Lucifer the favorite with Him would make him be hated by Her. It was also the thing that ended up getting him thrown out."

The bark of laughter she gave wasn't amused, though.

Chloe's mind spun as she drove on autopilot. Lucifer's family was an enigma. At times, she got the feeling his father was some kind of religious commune leader, preaching peace and love of mankind to his gaggle of children while they were cloistered away somewhere far from civilization. At others, it felt more like a mafia family. There was a fear and reverence associated with him, even though Lucifer tried his hardest to fall on the other end of the spectrum from those things when talking about him. But despite that, Chloe could tell even through Lucifer's snide comments that his father was a powerful man. He seemed to think his reach was boundless, there was no string his father couldn't pull.

A dangerous man and his dangerous wife. And Lucifer caught in the middle.

Didn't Lucifer say he was supposed to bring her back to his dad? Well, she thought he said back to Hell, but she assumed that was back from wherever he'd come from. The Devil metaphors got confusing sometimes. Why would his dad ask him to deal with her? It seemed sadistic to send Lucifer after his abusive mother. And if his father was so all powerful, why didn't he just do it himself?

Silence settled over the car for the rest of the ride while Chloe's thoughts ran in circles. It wasn't until they reached her house that she realized she'd just brought Maze home with her. She was suddenly very glad Trixie was with Dan for the weekend…

"I know Lucifer told you to come with me but you don't need to stay. I promise not to sneak back over there or anything."

The fact that Lucifer didn't want her there sat bitter on her tongue and coated her words. She turned her back to Maze and headed to the door before the other woman could see it on her face as well.

Maze snorted slightly from behind her. "Trust me, I don't want to be here any more than you want me here."

"Then go," Chloe said, giving a little shooing motion with the hand not putting the key in the lock. "I don't need a babysitter."

"He wants me here with you, making sure you're safe, so that's what I'm going to do," she said, brushing past her as the door opened and flopping down on the couch.

"I think he needs you more than I do."

She turned the lights on and shut the door before dropping into the armchair across from Maze as the memory of the lost looking Lucifer seated on the floor almost overwhelmed her for a second. The mental picture of him - eyes a little bigger than usual, blood coating the side of his face and neck, positioned like a puppet with its strings cut - chased away all the bitterness she felt at being sent away. Maybe he just didn't want her seeing him like that? In all honestly, she hadn't wanted to see him like that either.

Maze eyed her for a moment then looked away, but stayed silent. She looked like a sullen teenager at that moment with her arms crossed and an "I hate everything" look on her face. It was obvious she wasn't inviting conversation, but if she was going to stay then Chloe was going to get some answers. Starting with how tonight could have happened at all.

"Why… I've seen Lucifer throw grown men like… I mean, he's strong. Like freakishly strong," Chloe said in bewilderment. "How did she- Why didn't he…"

"He wasn't lying when he said she was stronger than she looked. But even then… It's different with her. She changed everything that first time," Maze said quietly after Chloe's undefined questions drifted off. "Lucifer… Wasn't like he is now. He didn't know hate or pain or… But she changed that. Nothing was the same anymore. Nothing was _right,_ he said _._ He couldn't trust anything again after…"

Maze sprang up from her seat so fast that Chloe jumped and her hand moved for her gun, but Maze just prowled the living room like a caged beast - hands doing an odd clenching and unclenching twitching motion at her sides.

And Chloe understood. It wasn't that his mother was stronger or faster than him, it was that she was emotionally and mentally a source of fear for him, a deep wound that never quite healed. That look on his face…

Then Chloe was on her feet, her own hands clenching at her sides. Just three days ago they'd stood on the roof in the rain and he'd opened up to her about that wound. And she'd promised herself that she was going to keep him safe.

She'd already failed him.

She wasn't going to again.

"We need to protect him," she said, seeing Maze had stopped her own pacing to stare at her. "He doesn't want us around, fine. Maybe that works out better. Let's find her, Maze. Let's find her and stop her."

Maze stared at her unmoving and unblinking and Chloe stared back, her jaw aching where it was clenched and fingernails digging into her palms. Finally, Maze huffed out a laugh and shook her head.

"He'll do worse to me than she ever did to him if I let anything happen to you."

"She's not touching him again," Chloe vowed. "I'll find her without you if I have to."

Maze rolled her eyes. "As if you could. And I didn't say I wouldn't do it. I just want you to be sure not to get yourself killed because it'll be the end of me as well as you."

"Don't worry about me, I can handle myself. Let's focus on her."

"Alright, Decker," Maze said, looking her from head to toe and smirking. "Let's see what you're made of."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

As Amenadiel watched his brother, he checked to be sure he hadn't accidentally slowed time again - his powers had been touchy lately, after all. Maybe he'd inadvertently delayed the women and they weren't far enough yet? But, no… time was moving as it should be. Yet Luci's head remained bowed and blood continued to drip ever so slowly as his rasped breath accented its decent. He mentally mapped Lux and the Detective's address, assuming that's where she'd go since she had Maze with her. A sizzle of alarm went through him at the fact they should at least be out of the building by now, even if they were dawdling, and were more likely at least a few blocks away. Why wasn't Luci…

With a lingering glance at his brother and a decision made, he went to his room and gathered some fresh clothes. When he returned, Luci was in the same position and condition.

"Come on, we're getting out of here."

The glance of confusion Lucifer gave him when he pulled him gently to his feet was better than the blank staring, but the lack of questioning or argument suppressed any relief it brought. Holding tight to his passenger and praying again that he wasn't about to embarrass himself, he concentrated. A moment later they were standing in his office - the furthest point of some safety and privacy that he could get from Chloe Decker's home.

Another drop of blood fell from Luci's chin, hitting the carpet silently.

"Brother, why aren't you healing?" Amenadiel said, his frustration leaking through his words.

Looking more like himself than he had all night, Lucifer gave him a dirty look and yanked his arm from Amenadiel's grasp before heading to the couch.

"I _am_. My body is smarter than you are and repairs the worst of the damage first – you know, things like internal bleeding and brain swelling?" He lowered himself onto the seat slowly and with a slight wince. "Worried about a little blood on your carpet? Then you shouldn't've brought me here."

He _was_ probably ruining the couch, but better here than his apartment. He'd just gotten it furnished…

"No, that's not-" Then he paused as his wing gave a twinge where their Mother had grabbed it earlier and realization came crashing in along with the old memory of crushed feathers and a huddled figure. "It wasn't just the detective, was it? It's because it's Mom that…"

Lucifer shrugged but didn't meet his eyes, instead he closed his and tipped his head back against the cushions.

"The detective being in the vicinity certainly didn't help matters, but yes, one of the joys of celestial motherhood is being able to damage the undamageable."

"It took a while for the bruises from our fight to disappear…"

Amenadiel's body tensed and he wished he could suck the words back in, but instead of surprise from Lucifer all he got was a nod.

"And celestial siblinghood to a lesser degree, apparently."

Amenadiel let out a soft sigh in relief – he'd honestly thought that the length of time it took him to recover from his fight with Lucifer was because of his waning powers. It was part of why he'd kept himself away from Lux after the revelation of their Mother's escape from hell – he hadn't wanted Luci to start asking questions he didn't want to answer. The other part being that he had no idea what to say or do about their escaped, apparently murderous, parent. Guilt gnawed at him as he watched Luci, blood stained and looking exhausted. He was too worried about keeping his own secrets to check on his brother, even though he _knew_ how their Mother felt about him.

"Luci, I'm-"

"Dr. Caanan?" Linda's voice interrupted him, followed by a light knock and the door swinging open. "Or I guess I shouldn't call you Doct- oh my god!"

"Will everyone _please_ stop bringing Him up? It's _His_ fault I'm in this bloody position!"

While it was nice to hear some of Lucifer's old whining about their Father, it was Linda's horrified expression as she stared at him that had Amenadiel's attention at the moment.

"Lucifer- what- _what?"_ Her hands fluttered around her for a second as she searched for words before she darted to his side.

Amenadiel saw the second it took for Lucifer's lazy, slouched position on the couch to snap into a wary tension, so it wasn't a complete shock when he flinched violently away from Linda's hands and made a stumbling retreat to the other side of the office. Not a surprise, but not easy to watch by any means.

Linda froze, hands still slightly outstretched before she slowly lowered them. Amenadiel could practically see the woman's mind working as pieces slid around and she tried to work out what was going on here. Though angelic sons being attacked by a murderous goddesses escaped from Hell probably wasn't the conclusion she'd end up on, Amenadiel knew she'd get as close as she could with a human approximation of the situation.

"Lucifer, please come sit back down, I'm sorry I ran at you like that," she said, moving slowly as she stepped away from the couch and gestured for him to return.

To his credit, Lucifer looked annoyed by the situation, but Amenadiel could see the tightness around his eyes that belied his discomfort as he made a point to move flop back on the couch without so much as a wince.

"Just didn't want you to go poking things. They're just starting to come back together, don't need clumsy human fingers getting in the mix."

Linda just nodded, like that made perfect sense, before glancing at Amenadiel. He knew perfectly well she'd come here to yell at him – he'd tried to manipulate her, lied about who he was, pretended to befriend her. But it hadn't all been pretend, he genuinely liked Linda and he felt a twinge at the cold look she was leveling at him.

"Surprised to see you here. Must be paid up through the end of the month, right? Since there's no need to carry on pretending to be a psychiatrist," she said as he mentally groaned.

How pathetic was it that he'd hoped that his beaten and bloody brother would act as some kind of shield to this confrontation?

"I'm bleeding all over the couch and all you care about is his lying to you? Where's the doctorly concern?"

Apparently, Luci had hoped he'd be a shield as well? But he sounded more like his old self in his indignation, so maybe it was fine. Looking at Linda it clicked that maybe this was what she was hoping for – that maybe Lucifer, who usually basked in the spotlight, didn't want to be the center of attention at this moment.

"I understand you're upset I told you I was a therapist," he said, bracing himself for this conversation.

"Maybe you are one," she said with a sarcastic little laugh. "Because your intuition is uncanny."

Lucifer barked out a laugh and Amenadiel felt some of that tightness in his chest loosen with the sound, even faced with Linda's disappointment in him.

"I did what I had to do. I didn't have a choice-"

"Yes. You did. You used me, you didn't _have_ to do that. I'm used to my patients lying to me-"

"Hey!" Lucifer gave an indignant squawk which was ignored.

"-not my colleagues-"

"Not really your colleague either," Lucifer helpfully put in.

"Not my friends," she said, her voice softer and hurt. "I confided in you; trusted you. And you betrayed that trust."

"It's difficult to explain, but things have been very trying for me."

"Maybe if you didn't think so much about yourself, and a little more about how you treat _others_ things wouldn't be so _trying_."

"…you're right. I'm working on that."

He glanced at Luci and noticed he was looking better now -still bloody and bruised, but more alert and his posture was less slumped.

"Oh, looking to me to put in a good word?" He asked, misinterpreting his glance. "Fine, fine. Yes, Doctor, he's proved himself to be less of a selfish prick today."

"Really," she said dubiously, sitting on the arm of the couch with a glance at Lucifer's reaction to her proximity that he didn't notice.

"I know, hard to believe, isn't it?"

"It is, how exactly did he do that?"

"Well, my mum and I were in a bit of a tussle, as you can see. Nothing I couldn't handle, of course, but my dear brother here actually got a little mouthy with her for it."

Despite the careless tone, Amenadiel could see genuine gratefulness in Luci's eyes when he glanced at him, even past the cocksure attitude he was putting on display.

"Hmm, well, I guess that should count for _something,_ " she said after a beat, not reacting to the fact Luci had revealed their mother was behind his injuries other than a slight tightening of her jaw.

"Yes, so forgive the poor sod so we can move on to bigger issues."

"Which would be?"

"Well, a miracle for this suit, for starters" he said, looking down and plucking at the crusty fabric. "A shower. A stiff drink. Oh, a little cocaine wouldn't be amiss."

"Yes, yes it would," Linda said flatly.

"Oh, come on! I have to hunt my evil Mum down, how can I do that without a little chemical assistance?"

For a split second Amenadiel mentally echoed that sentiment, but then he realized that anything that dulled their senses in Mom's presence could very well cause maiming and shook his head.

"Why do _you_ have to hunt down your mom?" Linda asked. "If she did this to you then the police will look for her."

"Mum's not something the police can handle, being an ultra powerful goddess and all."

Linda glanced at Amenadiel, maybe looking for a translation. He just shrugged.

"He's not wrong – the police won't be able to contain her."

"And you think the two of you will be able to?"

The silence that sat in the room was heavy as the brothers avoided looking at one another. Amenadiel was right in the fact the police wouldn't be able to contain her. But Linda's question was a valid one -how exactly were the two of them going to contain her?

"How _am_ I supposed to do that?" Luci said, brows furrowed as he looked at the wall. "I don't have the power to banish her to Hell, just the power to keep her there. Maybe. I didn't expect her to escape those chains…"

"If Father gave you the task, then there must be a way," Amenadiel said, his calm conviction surprising himself given his doubts about their Father lately.

"Or maybe He gave me the bloody task because He _knew_ it was impossible!" Luci yelled, his fury sudden and startling as he jumped to his feet. "She's a goddess! I'm-"

His voice cut off abruptly and Amenadiel wondered what he was going to say, then decided maybe he didn't want to know after all…

"There's a way," he said, still seated calmly while his brother paced the room. "She's not at full strength either or she never would've left tonight."

He knew he shouldn't have let that "either" slip into the sentence, but Luci looked thoughtful instead of wrathful. While Lucifer was still powerful now, he was a mere shade of his former winged self. And even then Mom hadn't had a problem reducing him to…

He took a deep breath to force away the anger and found Linda staring at him thoughtfully.

"Maybe he never meant for you to do it alone," Linda said, causing Luci to pause his pacing. "Maybe he wanted you to confront your mother, your past with her, with your brother. Or brothers? Aren't there more of you? Maybe confronting your feelings about-"

Amenadiel let Linda's calm voice drift out of his focus as he thought of his other Brothers. There was no doubt that most of them disapproved of Luci and his lifestyle choices, but did that mean they wouldn't help against Mom? And even if some of them did, would it matter? What could they-

"We need Azreal's blade."

The words cut through his thoughts as surely as the blade would cut through a body and he froze in shock, eyes slowly raising to meet Lucifer's. The blade wouldn't take her back to hell, it would-

"That would end her."

"I know."

And what was most surprising to him wasn't the idea of using the Blade. It was the fact that the suggestion had come from his own mouth and that Luci was the one looking shocked at suggestion.

And more than that, the thought of using it to kill their mother… didn't really bother him at all.


End file.
